Bush releases $100 million to help poor pay cooling bills

CRAWFORD, Texas -- With summer temperatures soaring, President Bush released $100 million on Thursday to help poor people pay air conditioning bills.

In a letter to House Speaker Dennis Hastert, Bush called the action an emergency requirement.

The money comes from funds appropriated for the Department of Health and Human Services' Low Income Energy Assistance Program.

"These funds will enable the department to address the needs of low-income households in 33 states and the District of Columbia experiencing hotter-than-normal weather conditions," Bush said in a letter to the speaker.